DeMarre Carroll Provides The Heart That Brooklyn Has Sorely Needed

Hours after losing out on Otto Porter, Sean Marks went another route in acquiring DeMarre Carroll from the Toronto Raptors. The Brooklyn Nets got their starting small forward while the Raptors shed salary.

In the days following this deal, many praised Marks for acquiring a first-round pick (likely to fall in the 20-25 range) in a draft where the Nets had none. Carroll, who had a disappointing stint with the Raptors, was thought of as a pure salary dump by some. Contrariwise, Nets Nation should not look at the former Atlanta Hawk as simply a number against the cap. Carroll can still be, at the very least, a reliable rotation player for years to come.